Hands of the Ripper (1971)

Plot: A baby girl named Anna watches her mother murdered by
her father Jack the Ripper. She grows and is now an orphan working and abused.
Soon Jacks back, or at least the “Ripper's” spirit is alive? How can this be?
What is the mystery and can Anna, now haunted by her father come to terms with
the horror? Can it be stopped? Can the bloodshed and violence be understood
before it's too late and all the bodies pile up? Mind altering insanity. An ultra-stylized,
bloody, gory time of horror.

My Review and Thoughts:

Behold Hammer Pictures. Another wonderful forgotten little
gem of a horror film from Hammer studios or as I like to call it, The Hammer
House of Horrors. One of the greatest film studios of all time. Bringing
Vampires and mad men to the glory of the cinema world. Here is another one from
this classic studio. This one is forgotten by time but is a wonderful glory
classic of Hammer's reign. Jack the Ripper is dead but his offspring lives on.
An orphan prostituted out and used by her Foster mother.

This is a graphic beauty of yesteryear. A triumphant rated R
little bloody gem. A female ripper slaying and destroying like father, like
son, whoops daughter. Murder most foul. Truly an underrated, interesting and
often overlooked little perfect film of blood. A classic Hammer suspense that
is a perfect late-night Drive-in beauty of twisted killings and insanity.

It's possibly in my view point one of the most interesting
Hammer productions. Sort of a period piece, yet also plays on the murder
mystery and is different from most of their films. Trances, flashbacks, murder,
Jack the Ripper and slasher horror with a deep interesting story to go along
with all the actions.

Starring many classic stables of yesteryear cinema, such as
the master of acting Eric Porter who sadly passed from Colon cancer at 67. He
was always a shining example of acting perfection. Starring in such classics
like 73's The Day of the Jackal, 73's The Last Days of Hitler. Often a
brilliant stable in BBC productions and television films of the British BBC.
Always gracing sophisticated characters such as doctors or Edwardian costume
dramas. Always a beautiful stable in the thought-provoking category of
sophisticated acting. Many will know him from BBC mini-series and from one of
the greatest shows, the original series or as it's referred to a miniseries,
which ran for 26 episodes, The Forsyte Saga (1967).

He plays the roll in Hands of Ripper, as Dr. John Prichard.
He takes in an orphan girl Anna after she murders her Foster mother, or does
she? He becomes obsessed and enthralled with her and he wants to use the idea
to be able to study one who has murdered. He wants to know the very recesses of
the one who murdered. She does not remember murdering. During her deed, she
goes into some sort of trance.

What is the reason?

Why does she go into the trance?

Why does she not remember?

What is her past?

What is so haunting to her?

This also stars the stunning, beautiful, amazing and very
brilliant and extraordinary actress Angharad Rees. She has passed away at the
very young age of 68 but will always be remembered for her wonderful beauty and
legacy of acting. The legacy she left is mind blowing. She always owned her
parts and created her parts as her own. The viewer felt a part of her as she
performed. Often a stable in BBC production such as TV and miniseries and
starring is such TV classics as the long running Poldark series. She plays the
character of Anna in Hands of Ripper, daughter to Jack the Ripper. She owns the
part and made you believe her frightening example of a so-called murderer. She
blacks out and holds the blade in her hands or at least whatever weapon she
has.

Also starring an underrated actor in his time, Derek Godfrey
(1924–1983). He plays the part of Dysart the somewhat villainous style of
character. He played in countless TV shows and many mini-series. He had a true
style to his emotions and attitudes that he adds to the characters he plays. I
thought he was wonderful in this part.

Directed by a wonderful often overlooked filmmaker Peter
Sasdy. He directed many Hammer films such as 1970's Taste the Blood of Dracula,
71's Countess Dracula. He also directed Nothing but the Night (1973) starring
Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, as we all know, both whom are Hammer horror
film stables. He also directed three of the episodes for the 1980's Hammer
House of Horror TV series and directed 3 episodes of 1984's Hammer House of
Mystery and Suspense TV series. Interesting to note is he is often remembered
for his cult film The Lonely Lady which he won the Razzie award for worst
director. This film was nominated for worst everything and at one time was
considered the worst drama film in the first 25 years of the Razzie's until
Battlefield Earth took that role. I don't really agree with the Razzie awards
because some of the films they put in their Razzie do not belong. Some films
are just popcorn entertainment and silly Drive-in fare and the Razzies fail to
see that sometimes. Anyway, I feel Peter Sasdy never got his just due as a
director. I loved Hands of Ripper and he did a fantastic job at creating a dark
and very morbid telling of the idea of Jack the Ripper's offspring. Now
something many might not know about him is he basically directed the first the
movie on the idea of virtual-reality. He directed the first movie to use this
concept. Welcome to Blood City (1977) starring Jack Palance. This film has a
bunch of people in VR reality of the Wild West and must be killers to advance.

What’s interesting about Hands of Ripper is this was the
70's and the studio sadly started to lose the audience or at least interest of
the time. Hands of Ripper is amazingly gory and bloody and violent. Hammer had
always showed the blood in many of its features but this became a new style in
the 70's and seemed to get more extreme as the 70's went on. This one is a
prime example of the escalating violence. I think it was a sad ordeal when
Hammer productions ceased to basically exist in the mid 80's. They always
dominated in the world of horror. Most people don't release it, that Hammer
came into existence in the 1930's. Most associate them with the 60's and 70's
but they got their start much sooner. It was not until the ultra-horror, that
they built, as their stable, did they start a huge fan base that lasts till
today.

Hammer started to stray from basic film plots toward 1953
when they adventured into, two Science Fiction films. Shortly after the trip
into science fiction Hammer started their ultra-cool reality that most film
lovers know them for and that's Horror. Besides Universal Horror they pretty
much are the gods of the early horror cinema. They showcase the very essence of
what the horror world was and has become or at least the beauty and birth of
horror cinema. My ultimate favorite horror series would be the many
Frankenstein films starring the one and only Peter Cushing. Many associate
Christopher Lee's Dracula roles, but I love the Frankenstein films the best. It
was The Curse of Frankenstein in 1957 that started the Horror movement. They
had done Sci-fi/Horror such as The Quatermass Experiment saga. With the Curse
of Frankenstein, it was the birth of a new reality for Hammer. Dracula did not
start Hammer Horror, the old resurrected Dead Man Frankenstein's monster did.

It was the first main stream to use colored blood and gore.
It created a massive following and the studio instantly became the one and only
Hammer House of Horror. Soon Hammer Horror owned the screens and they would run
rampant with vampires, mummies, knife using maniacs and legends, all done in
Hammer Horror style. Soon there would be countless followings by other studios
that wanted to make money on the band wagon; there is only one Hammer. Sadly,
the Hammer Film studios that became the birthright to ultra-cool gory horror
faded away and went into hibernation after 1979 due to declining interest and
no new worthy ideas. They would produce TV series in 1980 and then again in
1984 and then hibernate again. The studio that was so promising that started
the ultra-cool horror wave in 1957 only lasted a little over 20 years. In those
20 years many wonderful examples of fun, wild, gory classic horror films
birthed onto the screen like never before. Hammer owned the business for a very
long time. I grew up on all their re-runs. One of my favorite times growing up
was when Turner Classic Movies or TV channels would run month long Halloween
Marathons of all these classics.

Hammer was a vital part of my childhood and will always be
dear to my heart and my horror loving mind. I grew up with Peter Cushing,
Christopher Lee acting it up and Terence Fisher at the helm. I grew up with
Oliver Reed and Ingrid Pitt and vampire hunters, vampire circus' and lesbian
blood suckers. I grew up with the thickest, brightest red blood possible. From
werewolves to a Gorgon, my childhood in the horror world was awesome. So, when
I adventure into Hammer films it brings out a wonderment inside me. Hands of
Ripper is a prime and fun example and ultra-gory slasher like violence, that
was Hammer Horror. This film so wonderfully details that classic retro style of
horror. They always had amazing sets, costumes and interesting stories of bad
guys and good guys/gals and monsters.

Hands of Ripper is a prime serial killer, violent possession
film that plays with the thick violence and mayhem that the dark side of
history and modern culture hides. A girl, a doctor and a blade all create a
vibrant colored and dark classic that I feel has sadly been overlooked and
forgotten about. This has recently been brought out on a beautiful crisp
Blu-ray by the one and only master studios Synapse Films. They gift this movie
with a Blu-ray edition that's worthy to own. If you get a chance buy this
Blu-ray and enjoy the loving beauty that Synapse's has put into it. The Blu-ray
features awesome specials such as:

THE DEVIL'S BLOODY PLAYTHING: POSSESSED BY HANDS OF THE
RIPPER Featurette

SLAUGHTER OF INNOCENCE: THE EVOLUTION OF HAMMER GORE Motion
Still Gallery

U.S. Television Introduction

Original Theatrical Trailer and TV Spots

HANDS OF THE RIPPER - Motion Still Gallery

Isolated Music & Effects Audio Track

This Blu-ray is amazingly restored and in High Definition
and most of all Uncut in all it's beautiful gory wonder. This is possibly one
of the most violent Hammer films. It holds nothing back and gives it a truly eye-opening
experience of classic horror, but most of all, the likes of brutal violence
that you would expect today.

It's a must own Blu-ray for any lover of true classic cinema
Horror. This is a must see, must own horror film that Hammer gave so much to.
They created genera of cinema that fans have become a part of. Hammer has a
cult status and Hands of Ripper belongs in that cult status of Horror cinema.